Regarding LeBron last night, passing out was the right play. I don't believe that a possession in the closing seconds of a game should somehow be subject to different criteria than it would an hour earlier. In other words, if kicking the ball out to a wiiiiide-open D. Marshall is the right play with 5:37 left in the second quarter [in a hypothetically identical sequence], then it's the right play in the closing seconds. To say otherwise would be like hitting on 16 against the dealer's 5 because, well, you're down to your last chip. You'd never do that [provided you're a by-the-book player who wants to lose as little money as possible at the table].

The goal of a basketball possession is to get the highest-percentage shot on the court. Does anyone deny that Marshall's shot was the better percentage play? If you played that set 20 times -- LeBron throws it up 10 times and Marshall shoots that open shot 10 times -- who will have more points at the end of the exercise? I thought so.

I realize that a LeBron FGA in that situation appeals to the mythological, but if we're talking about winning basketball games, other factors have to be taken into consideration. I'm a little incredulous of the star-worshipers who believe otherwise.

Posted Wednesday, October 29 at 3:20PM

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I just believe that, with Wallace's then-presence still on the weakside, and what appeared to be the open final three feet towards the rim, that this was a 90-percent make for LBJ. Can't blame him for not taking it, because that open three feet hadn't been there all game, not even close, as Wallace and others had made it all the way over from the weak side all night.

Marshall, despite his struggles, is hitting that shot at a fifty percent clip. Outta ten times, 1.5 PSA. LeBron, avis mon opinion a-gain, is making nine out of ten of those layups/dunks. It looked like an easy layup/dunk, even if he has to jump off his right foot. 1.8 PSA.

I just can't blame him. At 22, he hasn't had enough court time to immediately see that the option he'd been disabused of pursuing game-long suddenly open up again, improvise, and go up for the shot. But he has to develop that, at any age. I'd be saying the same thing had Kirk Hinrich, who couldn't see the rim that entire Bulls series, passed on what looked like a lay-in to find Nocioni in the corner late in a game against Detroit. And Hinrich is probably the anti-Rod Strickland when it comes to interior finishing.

Just re-watched -- at 9.1 seconds Rasheed was still in back of the rim on the weak side, and Prince was a half-step behind LeBron. There was a lane there. And I forgot the other thing I was going to say during that walk from the TV to the laptop.

Also, the first three letters of my anti-spam picture are "PIL," so I'll have "Rise" in my head for the rest of the day. And this is a day after, and I'm not joking, I had Herb Alpert's "Rise" in my head for the better part of the evening. As it should be.

Not to change the topic for no reason, but this is a Clippers blog. Elton Brand today on the radio said he's working out, and will absolutely be better next year, particularly better as a team leader. He says that missing the playoffs by one game was excrutiating and he will not let that happen again. He will be a team leader for every game next year, home and on the road, and will not except any losses lightly. I hope this rubs off on the rest of the team in a big way.

Kevin, even though points-per-shot attempt is usually the correct metric, I think that particular situation demanded the success rate be measured in "made shots". LeBron didn't want to score the maximum amount of points then, he just wanted the maximum probability of scoring, period. If DM scores 5 out of 10 and LBJ scores 7 out of 10, DM gets 15 points and LBJ gets 14, but in one scenario the Cavs don't certainly lose 50% of the, time and in the other it's 70%. (He was still right in passing, IMO.)

I heard some rationale on ESPN for LeBron kicking the ball out to Donyell. Considering that the Cavs were on the road, a dagger 3 at the buzzer to win the game would have been the ideal way to "steal" game 1 and put the Pistons in a mental funk for the rest of the series. If LeBron had gone for the layup/dunk, odds are pretty good that Detroit would have locked it down in the OT.

LaBron was playing the game the right way!
Sheed was in the area & with his length...could have made a block. Obviously Sheed was close enough to LaBron because after he dished the ball to Marshall...Sheed was so far away from Marshall that it was not even practical to really jump and contest the shot.